Recommended Programs

All of the programs that I recommend here are freeware and not in usage by most of the general population. Because I am loathe to paying for using programs, I scour the web for freeware programs that do just as well if not better than those that one pays for. Because I use Windows, it is for that OS that this listing is for. Linux I use also, but the folks who use that are more savvy than most and don't need my help in finding good programs.

Xnews—A very good news reader. The help file isn't exactly the best in the world, but if one ignores that, it's very capable. I've found it to be superior to a number of other news readers, as that is the only function that it does (other than compose e-mail). One other good thing is that it's not overly chunky, as some programs are often. http://xnews.newsguy.com/

StarOffice—From the Sun corporation, this is a good alternative office tool. It can handle opening MSOffice files, so that's a bonus too. The help files, once again, are not the most helpful in the world, but when you get over that, it's pretty good. For desktop publishing program, go elsewhere, as it can't handle that all too well, but I've managed to produce a few publications using it, regardless. It works as a text editor, database manager, spreadsheets, presentations, HTML editor, image editor and viewer, chart creator, and who knows what else. Quite versatile. http://www.sun.com/staroffice/

EditPad Classic—Okay, this is not freeware as such, but for the price of purchasing a postcard and sending it off to the creator of this, one can get to use a pretty nifty little text editor. You can customise the way in which you want to view the text—font and colour. Every text file opens up in the same window, so one doesn't end up with a pile of windows in the taskbar. It can also change the line breaks that you use to UNIX or Mac breaks, rather than Windows, should you need them. This is good if you're editing scripts for CGI use on a UNIX system. The more recent freeware version, EditPad Lite, is not one that I'd recommend. For all that it has a few nice features, it is a lot chunkier, and if you're a fast typer, most of what you type takes a minute or so to appear on screen. http://www.editpadpro.com/editpadclassic.html

KINSole—This is a console telnet program that is in beta phase and has one bug that I can noticeably see, yet I still prefer it several times over to the Windows telnet program. You can full-screen it and it will work as if it is a UNIX console (perhaps demonstrating why I like it). Supports colour, too. The help file is good -- small, but tells one everything that you need to know; perhaps because the program itself isn't the most sophisticated in the world. http://www.klever.net/

Opera—When I first began using the internet, I used Netscape. Then I began to use Internet Explorer when I began to get tired of it, but went back to Netscape after a while. After installing Windows 98 SE, Netscape wouldn't install anymore, so I downloaded this to test it out, then never went back. Version 5 of Opera is adware; that is, it is free as long as you have an advertisement showing at all times. I don't mind this, for not only isn't it bloated like the other two bigger browsers, it's easier to use, faster, and you can open a number of different pages all at once within the one window. This, again, doesn't fill up the taskbar, nor does it use up endless resources, as can the others. There are many keyboard shortcuts, which I find to be very useful, and the help file is indeed useful. I only recommend it as a browser, however; the e-mail system I've not been able to figure out, and the instant messaging is a bit too simplistic. The news reader isn't too bad, but still I prefer using Xnews. http://www.opera.com/

98Lite Preview—This gives you control over what you want when installing Windows—IE or not. It's good to remove IE from the shell, for that way everything works much faster … or so I've found. So if you want to be rid of IE pesking up your system beyond belief, be rid of it! It's easy enough to work with from the console … but I wouldn't advise doing this if you're not familiar with Windows installation (even though it's incredibly easy). The free version works well, even without having much of what is available in the Professional version. http://www.litepc.net/

Stripmail—This is a program that a lot of people who use Windows should get. Especially those naughty folks who find it most fascinating to forward e-mail with thousands of >'s in them. It gets rid of these, and also removes any line breaks. For that alone it is very useful in a number of different areas. The help isn't exactly extensive, but as it is an easy and straightforward program to use, it doesn't really need it. http://www.dsoft.com.tr/stripmail/

Sonar—A program written by an Australian writer specifically for keeping track of one's submission of various stories, it's very useful. There are lists for where one sent it, how much one was paid, what rights, how long it took to get an answer, and more. You'll have to download a number of DLL files to use them, though, because the programmer uses Visual Basic, and unless you have it, the programs don't work. You'll also need to get extra stuff if you don't use Office 2000. Well, it's not so easy to use the program, but they're well worth it, especially because of how other freeware programs often need the same things. http://www.spacejock.com/

The GIMP—The famous UNIX image manipulation program has made the leap over to Windows. It has the Gnome look, so most Windows users will find it somewhat strange to work with, but it's got the features that many well known image manipulation programs have, but one doesn't have to pay for it. The help files aren't too good, but as with all image programs, tinkering with it gives you a better knowledge of what it can do. This is the program that I'll be using from now on for image manipulation (though not for image viewing). http://www.gimp.org/